Lamplight
by KidEgo
Summary: After being trapped in Lamplight Caverns on a field trip during the Great War, 82 young kids learn to cope with life in Post-Apocalytia. They begin a rather peculiar city of their own within the cavern: Little Lamplight.
1. Welcome to Little Lamplight

_He sat there alone at the edge of the cave._

_He could only look in the distance._

"_Why me?"_

"_I'm just a kid."_

"_We need some sort of help… any help at all."_

"_Please… Ms. Delaney… come back."  
>Many different things ran through his head. He was uncertain of what would happen. All that Jason Grant knew, all that he had ever learned, would be put to the test. He continued to look into the distance. It would be a long night.<em>

"Now kids, remember, these caverns are home to some of the oldest rocks known to man. Be very mindful to what our tour guides tell us today. Also, remember everything we talked about in class. This is a fieldtrip, and it is supposed to be fun, but it is mainly supposed to help you fuel your knowledge."

Carrie Delaney was a young, beautiful fourth grade teacher at Early Dawn Elementary School. She was a fun, engaging teacher that gave her students more than they could ask for. When students wanted to hear about history, Ms. Delaney was sure to tell them exciting stories of America's hey-days in World War II. If the students wanted to read about interesting literature, Ms. Delaney was always on her toes giving them classics like Treasure Island and Tom Sawyer (and, if she felt the time was right, she'd let some of the students sneak in time for Grognak the Barbarian). If the students wanted to learn about the earth and rocks, she'd schedule a fieldtrip, much like the one today, so students could learn about caverns and how they came to be.

Riding on a bus full of at least forty kids, Ms. Delaney sat at the front trying to quiet down all the excited kids. She knew she'd have her hands full, but she was excited for the young fourth graders to learn about the caverns that were held within the D.C. area. "Alright students, we are about to arrive. Remember to stay close together and always do what any adult tells you. We have nearly half the school here today, so please be mindful of others paying attention on the tour. This is just as much a trip for them as it is for you all."

The fourth grade class was running wild as the bus came to a halt. "Slow down, kids," Ms. Delaney said. She could feel their excitement. A wide smile grew upon her face as she watched the kids getting off the bus. Ms. Delaney kept the group together, and as the last kids got off, she followed right behind.

As she got off, she saw the next load of students getting off of another bus. "Alright everyone, keep together and be mindful of other guest. We won't be the only people here, you know." Mr. Pollack was the school's third grade teacher. Though very serious about giving his students a solid education, Mr. Pollack was a kind man who students enjoyed. He many not have been considered "fun," but Mr. Pollack was surely favored by the students for being such a great teacher.

"Well Mr. Pollack… these students sure do seem eager to see the cavern."

With a smirk, Mr. Pollack responded, "Why wouldn't they be? Lamplight is such a wonderful spot. I remember when I was their age. I came here with my parents every year for nearly 10 years. I think I was around 19 or 20 when I stopped coming."

"What was it like?"

"Oh, about the same. It really made me appreciate the world… something so hard to do nowadays."

"You are not kidding. I've heard reports about possible airstrikes around the globe. Have you heard that?"

"Yes. Apparently China, Russia, and the US have discussed some… "falling out" plans. It's a shame. I really hope these kids get to see a brighter future."

"As do I Mr. Pollack… as do I."

As the day went on, all eighty-two students and their chaperones explored the caves of Lamplight. Wonderful sights were seen and all of the students were engaged. Even the worst of the kids cooperated and had a good time.

A young student, Jason Grant, was very curious to learn about the caverns. He wanted to know every bit of detail that he could. "When was this cavern founded?"

"Lamplight Caverns was founded in the late 1800s. It was later turned into a tourist attraction by the 1920s," the tour guide was just as happy. He never had a group as attentive and involved as these students. "And remember… if you like what you've seen today, stop at the souvenir shop. You can take home your own rock chipped from right here within the cavern." The students' oh's and ah's made the tour guide very pleased.

"Well kids, thank the nice tour guide for showing us around this wonderful cave," said Ms. Delaney as she settled the group down. "The buses will be arriving shortly, so let's hurry to the souvenir shop and get what we want quickly."

"Yes students," Mr. Pollack chimed in, "we don't want to be late. Make your purchases, thank the workers, and be sure to…"

A steady rumble settled over the cavern. The entire cave then began to shake violently. The lights continued to flicker on and then off until finally they cut out. The kids, all very panicked, screamed for their lives. No one knew what exactly was going on. In a hurry, Mr. Pollack raced to the entrance of the caves.

"Sir," said another tour guide, "sir, where are you…"

"I need to see what is going on."

"But sir, don't you want to…"

Mr. Pollack was already out of the front door. What was once a bright day was now a mucky gray colored day. Mr. Pollack looked out into the distance and gasped. He slowly walked back into the cavern. As if he had seen a ghost, Mr. Pollack walked slower and slower towards the students and chaperones with a blank stare.

"What is wrong?" asked a tour guide.

"What… what has happened?" asked another.

Mr. Pollack did not answer. He got in the middle of a crowd of students. He remained quiet.

"Mr. Pollack… are you alright?" asked Ms. Delaney.

"Clouds… Mushroom clouds… all over the sky…"

"Mr. Pollack, you don't think…"

"No… I don't think… I know. There are mushroom clouds all over the D.C. area. They have struck. The war has begun."

"Kids… please keep quiet while we try and figure out what to do." Mr. Cob, unlike Ms. Delaney and Mr. Pollack, was not quite as nice. His stern approach to teaching made him essentially the worst teacher in the students' opinions. Even his own son, Charlie, would agree his father was way too mean of a teacher. For Mr. Cob to say "please" meant that this situation was dire. Mr. Cob, much like Mr. Pollack, seemed disturbingly worried. He was frantic, going back and forth whispering to his wife Claudia, one of the other adults chaperoning. The students finally knew he was terrified and serious when he blurted, "…because we are finished, Claudia! There is no more America! This is it!"

"Shush Damian… you're scaring the children," Claudia whispered.

"I… I'm sorry students… please relax and stay calm. Everything will be alright."

The kids watched as the adults went back and forth, both talking and frantically worrying. Occasionally, the staff at the cavern came up asking the group if they needed anything. Though staff numbers were limited being that it was the afternoon, four staff members were trapped inside the cavern with the elementary school. Much like everyone, the staff, too, was terrified. With seemingly no connection to the outside world, the group knew they were trapped inside Lamplight Caverns. These similar actions continued for a few days.

By the next day, the group had water and enough food to last about five days. Stressed from all of the action, Ms. Delaney escaped to a secluded area. No one noticed Ms. Delaney slip by, so she was able to get a few minutes of privacy as she went to the side of the cave. Once she had gotten out of view, she pulled out a small pocket recorder. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and then hit record:

_My name is __Carrie Delaney__. I teach fourth grade at the __Early Dawn Elementary__ School, in Washington, D.C.  
>Yesterday, October twenty third, two thousand seventy-seven, half the school went on a field trip to <em>_Lamplight Caverns__. We were packing up to leave when- when everything went crazy._

The caves started shaking, the lights went out, the kids started screaming. My God...

_Mister Pollack__ went outside to see what was going on.  
>When he came back in, he told us what he saw. Clouds. Mushroom clouds. It's finally happened. The end of the world.<em>

Quickly, Ms. Delaney hit the stop button. Her eyes were wide. She then rested her face, began to breathe really heavy, and then began to cry. She knew there was no hope. This was the worst Carrie Delaney had ever felt in her life.

At the top of the cavern, Mr. Cob and Mr. Pollack tried to calm the students down. Mr. Cob, usually a teacher who could be overheard telling staff that fear was weak and made a person break, was now claiming he was scared. "Look everyone, I am scared too. We must keep going, though." This was a new side the students had seen of Mr. Cob. It was new side his own son had seen of Mr. Cob. "Charlie… may I see you right now?"

Charlie walked up to his father, both worried and confused. He knew this was serious. "Yes sir?"

"Charlie… you know I love you son… right?"

"Yes Dad. I know you and Mother love me very much."

Mr. Cob began to cry. This was something Charlie had never seen before in all nine years of his life. Mr. Cob grabbed Charlie's head, hugging him tightly and pulling Charlie into his chest. Charlie began to tear up as well. Claudia came up and pulled Mr. Cob off of Charlie. "Damien, we cannot have these kids worried. We must stay strong," she told him.

"You're right… we need to just get through the days. We will be fine."

Four days had passed. The group was worried. Claudia figured that someone had to look around at the outside world. No one had even attempted to step foot outside of Lamplight in seventy-two hours and it was killing her. She whispered that she'd be leaving to Mr. Cob who, in return, nodded and kissed her gently on the forehead. Everyone watched as Claudia walked out the front door, embracing the outside world for the first time in nearly four days.

Hours passed with no return. Claudia had left early in the morning and now it was far passed midday.

"Dad, where is Mother?" Charlie curiously asked.

"I don't know, Son… I don't know."

"Well… are we going to go find her?"

"Yes… I will."

"But Dad, I want to…"

Mr. Cob broke away from Charlie and began to walk to the entrance of the cavern. Mr. Pollack walked next to his side, pleading with him to stay, but Mr. Cob kept walking unalarmed by Mr. Pollack's words. He just kept repeating, "I need to find my wife."

Again, hours passed after Mr. Cob's search went on. He did not return for some time. Charlie sat in a corner, alone with none of his friends. Ms. Delaney finally went up to him. "Charlie, are you alright sweetheart?"

"Yes… I'm fine. Dad's going to find Mother. They'll be back. They'll be back, I swear."

"Yes… yes they will dear."

Ms. Delaney felt terrible for this young boy. She knew he was experiencing some hardships missing both his parents at a moment like this. She knew all of the kids were experiencing hard times. She went to her undisclosed location once again and began to record:

_We're all okay. If you can call being stuck in a cave with eighty-two terrified kids okay. Alive, anyway. But I don't know what the hell we're going to do.  
>It's been four days. <em>_Claudia__ went out this morning to look around, and never came back. Then Mr. __Cob__ went out to look for her, and HE never came back._

So now there's only me, two other teachers, two of the parents who were chaperoning, and a few of the cavern staff. And all these poor kids.  
>We've got enough food and water to last for awhile, I guess. But after that? I just don't know. We can't stay in here forever. Can we?<p>

As time went on, adults began to leave the cavern to search for supplies. None would return. Eventually, Ms. Delaney was the last surviving adult. She hated being alone. How could she take care of eighty-two kids alone? She eventually worked up the courage to leave out of the entrance. "Kids… I'll be leaving. I hope to return soon… with supplies, and food, and water!"

The kids, though, knew they'd never see Ms. Delaney once she walked out of the door. They watched as she walked out of the door, waving goodbye one last time. She had a troubling smile with tears in her eyes as she pushed the small wooden door to the outside world. The kids, now, were all alone.

After hours passed without their teacher, the fourth graders, the oldest students of the group, decided to talk things over. Their big question: who would watch over and protect this group? Henry Fallon, a charismatic fourth grader with a good sense of leadership, decided to get all eighty-two kids together. "Attention… Attention! Quiet down everyone! As you all know… the adults are gone. Ms. Delaney hasn't returned and it has been hours. We need some sort of person to watch over us."

The voices of kids rang through the caves. Kids were scared and nervous. This would be a big responsibility.

"Would anyone want to step up as a leader?" asked Henry nervously. The group remained quiet for some time. Finally, a voice rang out, "Well there needs to be someone who stands up and takes leadership! We can't survive without a protector." It was the voice of Max Tindal. Tindal was a stubborn bully of a kid who always was getting in trouble for running his mouth and starting fights with other students. "I personally say that we make Charlie in charge… his parents are the reason no adults are around."

"Hey dude, no need to be a jerk, Max. Charlie has gone through a lot," said Henry.

"You're so big and bad, why don't you step up as leader, Max!" shouted Charlie. He was furious by this point.

"Listen here, Corn on the Cob… maybe I don't want so much responsibility. Ever think of that?"

"That was a terrible insult, one, and two, don't you just love to be the center of attention?"

The two continued to argue until they broke into a small fistfight. A few students broke them up as a voice from the back of the room began to sternly speak. It was Jason Grant.

"Hey, hey, hey! Fighting gets us nowhere! We are all scared. We are all terrified. The adults are gone and we don't know what to do. I get it! But please… please, please, please do not fight. It gets us nowhere. It just causes more problems that we do not have time to solve. What we need to do is work together. We need to find a way to conserve our food as well as find more. Where we are now… it won't do. We are so confused as people. We need to relax and work together, not fight one another. Max, be cool. Charlie, keep calm. We have lost a lot, but we need to stick together."

For that one moment, the group seemed hopeful. A pleasant light was shining within the group as the kids' faces lit up. There seemed to be a chance of survival. Without hesitation, Henry asked, "Jason… that speech… you make us feel safe. Would you… please… would you lead our group? You are the oldest person here. One of the few of us that's ten. Please, will you lead our group?"

This was a big burden that Jason was given. Did he truly want to lead a group of seven to ten year olds? This was so much for a kid who was barely ten himself. "Well… does no one else want to be the leader?" All of the kids remained quiet. Jason looked around one last time, hoping maybe one kid would step up and take leadership. None. It was all for Jason. "Everyone… I would be honored to be the leader of this group."

As the night was winding down, Jason took a troop of six older, bigger guys to explore the cave. They grabbed flashlights from the cavern souvenir shop and explored the lower half of the cavern. "We are going to split up. Take your notebooks from that Ms. Delaney gave us the other day from this trip and write down what you see. This can help us map out the other parts of the cave that aren't on the tour maps." Jason was starting to lead this group very well. His confidence was definitely soaring and he felt proud.

The six kids split up. As others went in different directions, crawling into spaces and around outer edges, Jason went straight into a vastly open space. It was well secluded from everything else, and he wondered how special of a place this could be. He looked around the perimeter but found nothing. As he continued to search, all he could think about was leading the kids safely out of this cavern and back to the outside world. There had to be some other way that wasn't the front door. As he pondered this thought, he tripped over something on the ground. It was a small, black device that fit in the palm of his hand. He saw a button, pressed it, and immediately heard the voice of Ms. Delaney. He was curious to hear what she had to say. After hearing that she left a sort of recorded journal, he figured he'd document his experience as well:

_Umm... I guess this thing is working. I'm __Jason Grant__. I'm ten years old. I'm in __Ms. Delaney__'s class, __Early Dawn Elementary__. A month ago a big war came and everything was destroyed. Except us. We're still OK in these caves. Kinda. __Ms. Delaney__ went out this morning to get help and she never came back, but the other adults never came back either. So now it's just us kids. A lot of the others still cry every day. They're really scared. I'm not. There's nothing to be scared of, as long as we don't go outside. Nobody else wants to be in charge, so I'm gonna try. Most of the kids listen to me already, so it should be easy. _

Jason examined the machine again. He found an eject button, hit it, and pulled out a tape-like figure. He saw a blank strip on the tape and decided to write on it with a pin he had in his pocket. He swiftly sketched "My diary, by Jason Grant- entry 1," placed it back in the recording machine, and set the machine gently back on the ground. Jason knew he'd be a great leader for these kids.

For months, the kids continued to live together, working hard to survive after the unfortunate fate they were dealt. A month after the disappearance of all adults, the kids were able to find running water. One of the kids, Stanley, an eight year old who most called "Spuds," heard a hissing sound coming from the lower east region. The kids found a small, unmarked running stream that was producing seemingly pure water. This was valuable and substantial to their health. Jason vowed that they would always remember this day as a key moment in their survival.

Jason continued to lead the group well. He was well liked by ever member of the student body. They all trusted him. He was kind to them. He was not a tyrant, but rather a just leader who heard what the other kids wanted. One night, all of the kids in Lamplight got together. They had realized that Lamplight was slowly becoming a city of kids. As the fourth graders had recently learned in their social studies, every city needed a mayor. The students all secretly voted Jason the mayor and decided they'd call their city Little Lamplight being the fact it was a city run by little kids.

After the voting, the kids ran up to Jason excitedly. Henry Fallon excitedly grabbed Jason's shoulders. "We have some great news, dude!"

"What's that?" asked Jason

"We want you as mayor. We've decided… well, since we'll be living in this hunk of a rock for some time… we want to make this a city. A city of kids! And we want you as mayor!" All of the kids cheered as Henry gave word.

Jason, on the other hand, did not look as thrilled as the others. He seemed quite distraught and was very, very quiet. "Can I have some time to think this over?"

Henry was taken back and seemed extremely shocked. "Um… yeah man. We'll be here. Just let us know what you think, man."

Jason went to the side of one of the high cavern peaks. He sat there alone at the edge of the cave. He began to think hard. His mind was racing with thought. "He couldn't believe it. He couldn't think straight at all. He could only look in the distance. Why me? I'm just a kid. We need some sort of help… any help at all. Please… Ms. Delaney… come back." Many different things ran through his head. He was uncertain of what would happen. All that Jason Grant knew, all that he had ever learned, would be put to the test. He continued to look into the distance. It would be a long night. He was going to be the mayor of Little Lamplight.

Jason went back to the crowd of kids gathering around. They were anxious for his word. Time for Jason seemed to be moving incredibly slow, and he was simply ready to get the words out of his mouth as fast as he could. "Fellow students…"

All of the kids were wide eyed, waiting on any answer at all from Jason's voice.

"Fellow students…" Jason was stalling as he cleared his throat. He knew he had to accept the position as mayor. He was the only member truly qualified out of the group to lead them. Besides, Mayor Grant had a pretty nice ring to it.

"Fellow students… I graciously accept your title. I would be honored to serve as mayor of this city. And for all who occupy this wonderful living quarter: welcome to Little Lamplight!"

The crowd of kids cheered louder than they ever had before. Jason's mind was racing. In this moment, Jason Grant knew that his life would forever be changed, and he would have to lead all eighty-one kids, including himself, as a caring, protective, and fair mayor for years to come.


	2. No Mungos Allowed

"_It's been almost two months, and we're all doing pretty good, even if we are all alone. There's a door that leads to a __Vault__, right here in the caverns. Every day we bang and bang, but they won't let us in. We can hear them in there! One time, a guy on the other side told us we were dead already. Fuck those grown-ups. Fuck them all. We don't need them ever again."_

Nearly two and a half months had passed and everything was seemingly going well… as well as it could in a post-apocalyptic time. For a city run solely by kids, Little Lamplight was doing great. Jason was happy with the way he was running things and so were the kids. Jason worked hard. He made sure everyone was accounted for. If he didn't know one of the kids, he would introduce himself and become friends with that person. That was a key quality in Jason's leadership: being personable.

"Jason… can I talk to you?" asked Madeline, a fourth grader who wasn't as close with Jason as the rest of his class was.

"Yeah Maddie, what's up?" He could see a sort of nervousness behind her eyes.

"I know we aren't super close. But… but thank you for everything! I really mean it."

"Oh, not a problem."

"Are we ever going to get out of here?"

Jason stayed quiet. This was a question he dreaded to hear. This was the question he knew he couldn't even lie about. If he said yes, everyone would expect him to figure out an escape plan. At the same time, if he said no, some kids would freak out and it would be his head. Despite the fact that these kids had set up a city, expecting to stay down in this cavern for a while, many still wanted to see the outside world again, along with their parents. Jason, plagued by his thoughts, continued to stare at Madeline with heavy eyes. He finally answered, "We… are going to try our best. If we cannot… well, at least we have set up a great place down here in Lamplight."

He expected Madeline to start crying, but instead she took a deep breath. "You're right. I know, you're right. This is a great place and we are making the best of it. Thank you again."

Jason smiled. This went easier than he expected. "We will get through this together. You go and get some rest."

Madeline smiled and walked off. Jason continued to scout out his area. Though most of the cavern was discovered, Jason would still look for new spots to set up civilization. He, along with other kids, set up numerous spots for sleeping. Along with this, they found an area to gather around and eat food. The stream of water was continuously putting out fresh, pure water. It had not affected them negatively yet.

By nightfall, Jason decided to try and get a good night's sleep. After closing his eyes for ten minutes, he began to fall asleep. He dreamt that he guarding Little Lamplight from terrible group of monsters. He drew a stick that suddenly turned to a sword. He swung the sword and the monsters were terrified fleeing the scene immediately. He then heard a pitter-pattering of footsteps behind him. He had no time to react, but felt a hand grab his shoulder shaking him constantly saying his name.

"Jason… Jason… Jason…"

Alarmed, Jason woke up in a sweat. He saw Henry who looked quite excited. "What's up Henry?"

"Jason… we found it! We found our way out!"

"Wait, what?"

"Jason, we are getting out of here. We are safe!"

"What… how?"

"Vault door. There is a Vault door."

"You mean like the new Vault Tech doors they've been showing all over the TV set?"

"Yes! They're here! There's one not far from here! Come on… come see!"

"Okay, okay!" Jason excitedly got up. They were free. They were leaving this cavern for good. This was an amazing moment in his young life.

The group rushed to the door. It was so exciting. He felt like the movie characters he'd always seen in his favorite action films. They were always discovering cool things, meeting cool people, and going on amazing quests. This was Jason's amazing quest… a quest to find true safety.

He walked up close to the door. In the center illuminated a giant 87. He took a deep breath and touched the steel door. Rubbing his hand down the door, he shivered. It was cold, but he knew there was life inside. "We must call to the people inside. Henry, you get five others. Two girls and three guys. We will bang on the doors and shout. We need to get in there."

Henry grabbed a group and told them to get to the door. They began to bang on the door, shouting to the people inside. "Hey! Help us!" They cried. "We are just kids… please!" There was no response. The kids began to yell louder. "PLEASE! Help!" Still, no one responded. The kids pounded for hours.

Finally, Jason told the kids to get back. He would brace the situation by himself. "Excuse me… if there is anyone there… please! We are children, no older than 10. My name is Jason Grant. I am mayor of a little town we set up… Little Lamplight. If there is any safe haven you can spare us… if there is a way you can lead us to some safety… please…" It remained quiet. Jason and the group stared at the door, waiting on some response. Still, there was none. The group decided to turn around and walk away.

"Go away…" a voice finally called out. It was the voice of an adult male. This stopped the group dead in their tracks. "Just go!"

Jason raced to the door. He called out, "Please, we are in dire need. Please… please help us!"

"No… NO! Go away…"

"No, please sir… We need entrance into…"

"What's the point… you're dead… you're not real… I can't help you…"

"No sir… we are alive, we need…"

"YOU'RE DEAD… DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU ARE DEAD! Just go…"

Jason choked up a word, but swallowed it as he felt there was no use. "Let's just go…" Hope seemed lost.

Jason went back to his quarter. He was angry. How could this happen to their group? There was no reason for these adults to lock them out. They were kids! They needed help! How could they be like this? He pulled the recorder out of his pocket. He was about to let his emotions fly as he started to record. "It's been almost two months, and we are doing pretty good…"

Jason finished his second journal, took a deep breath, then charged to the living quarters of the cavern. "Everyone… everyone gather around! Gather around!" The group of kids moved in fast, startled for a bit. "Everyone, we are calling a meeting."

The group met in a side corner of the cavern. Newly hung lights dimly lighted the space. The kids were curious to why this meeting was taking place. Jason was stern. "Kids of Little Lamplight. We have been ostracized by the adults of 87 and abandoned by those who have taught and cared for us. We only have one another. These… these… Mungos have left us here to fight for ourselves! We will survive, though. We will survive and we will live to see the light of day again! Never let these adults get us down. These Mungos are nothing but trouble and will split us apart. Let this be a place for kids. Let this be a safe haven for all that are young. No more Mungos! No more Mungos!"

The kids began to chant. All were screaming, "No more Mungos!" It was official that this was a new derogatory term for adults, and ever member of Little Lamplight stuck by it. They continued to chant. Jason walked away from them all. He knew that this was a defining moment. No adult would be allowed to enter Little Lamplight, and no adult would control these kids ever again. In the morning, Jason would start writing the rules that would officially set up the city of Little Lamplight… a city without adults.


	3. Bylaws

Jason sat with a flashlight at hand, a notebook on the ground, a heavy heart, and a burning anger for all adults. His hand was racing, writing numerous new rules into the notebook. He whispered what he was going to write as he would write. Going, going, going, Jason kept at his fast pace for a while. What he scribbled on the piece of paper was to be the official bylaws of Little Lamplight.

"And… this should do," he said as he dropped his pen after writing the final line. Carefully, Jason read over the lines. A big grimace brushed his face. This was exactly how he wanted the laws to read.

"Everyone… let's gather around," Jason said, getting all of the kids together. "It's time to review the rules of our new settlement." The children rushed to the living quarters. There, Jason was standing on an old Lamplight Taverns crate that looked as if it were rotting and could break at any second. "Let's start from the top."

Jason pulled out the paper of laws he had written. He cleared his throat as he began to read the laws:

1.) _Absolutely NO adults allowed in Little Lamplight._

_2.) Protect all possessions within Little Lamplight boundaries._

_3.) Protect all citizens of Little Lamplight at all times… no matter what the cost._

_4.) No stealing!_

_5.) No hurting others._

_6.) Monthly, citizens of Little Lamplight must gather together to discuss current rules of our city._

_7.) Regard all rules set by the current mayor._

_8.) Avoid Vault 87 at all costs. This means conversation with people in the vault as well._

_9.) Never leave out of the cave's front entrance unless given permission._

_10.) Once members of Little Lamplight reach the age of 16 and become members of the adult world, they must leave the premises of this city._

After hearing the final rule, the crowd of kids became vocal. They were not angry, but nervousness set in amongst their voices. "Wait, we can't leave. It's too dangerous out there!" "There is no way we can leave. We'll never survive!" "Please… please… we can't do this!"

Jason knew this would be the reaction from most. He decided to try and settle the crowd. "Everyone, look. I know this is tough to hear. We must be brave and honor our first rule, though. If we say absolutely no adults, there can be absolutely no adults here."

Charlie Cob was in the front of the crowd. Looking up at Jason with a sullen appearance, Charlie brought up the question everyone was asking. "What if the adults we were with come back? What if they've met up and are just trying to find this location again?"

"Charlie… we all know they are gone…" 

"NO! No, they're not dead. They're just… they're just lost!"

"Charlie, I am really sorry about your parents…"

"Dammit Jason, they're not dead!"

"Charlie, we can't keep up with…"

"How can you say this, man? How can you go on saying this? You are the mayor and you are giving me no hope. You are supposed to give us hope."

"Charlie, it's just…"

"Fuck you, man!" Charlie raced off into the darkness of the cave. Jason chased after him. This was a rough time for everyone, Jason knew, but it was particularly hard on Charlie having his parents gone when nearly two months before they were chaperoning the group of students. This would be tough for Jason to convince Charlie that everything would be fine.

"Charlie!" shouted Jason. His voice echoed throughout the caves. "Charlie, come on out man! Let's talk things over bud." There was no sign of Charlie anywhere. Could he have snuck out without the group seeing him? Doubtful. Jason, as usual, called for a scouting team to search for Charlie.

It was truly surprising to everyone how big the cave was. There were numerous levels with swinging bridges that people were able to walk across. There were different sections with walk through spaces, an easy option for people to hide. One thing that kept the kids from finding Charlie, though, was the fact that it was so dark within the cavern. There were not enough flashlights for everyone, so the leaders of each search party had to have a flashlight to guide groups.

The cave rang with voices of children screaming Charlie's name. The harmony of voices could be heard from every corner of the cavern. There was something hauntingly beautiful about the voices calling Charlie's name to Jason. He enjoyed hearing the voices stream back to him every few seconds. After coming back to earth from his daydream, Jason called out Charlie's name. "Charlie… Charlie…"

The group was becoming distraught. For the first time, Jason himself was becoming distraught. He was tired and just wanted to go back to his area of the cave and sleep. Now, he had to find a way to get Charlie back to the group safe and sound. "Charlie… come on out buddy." He continued to walk up and down the corridors of Lamplight, but Charlie had disappeared.

After about twenty more minutes of searching, the parties called it quits and met back at the living quarters of the cave. Some of the kids were crying, others were talking loud and frantic, and many were sitting down quiet, but worried. Jason moved to the center of the group. "Listen everyone… tonight, as you know, we have not found Charlie. However, we will resume search in the morning. It is important that we find him. He is just as much a vital member to our group as anyone else in this city. Go to bed, get some rest, and we will continue to look for him in the morning."

Jason, too, was worried about Charlie. Though these caves were safe, the thought of a young boy, someone no younger than Jason, alone in the darkness was a creepy and melancholy thought. Jason went to his area of the cave and knelt down. For the first time in a while, he said a prayer to God, just as he used to when he was a really young boy right before bed. He prayed for the safety of Little Lamplight, and most importantly, he prayed for the safety of Charlie. He put his head down on the ground, closed his eyes, and immediately drifted off to sleep.

…

Right after Jason awoke, he gathered the children and began to the second day of searching for Charlie. Again, all search party leaders grabbed a flashlight and looked up and down, left and ride of the cave. Many of the children were screaming Charlie's name. A few of the kids were crying while saying his name. One little girl, Hanna, a third grader, walked around the cave for a while simply saying, "Charlie… come out… we miss you."

After two hours of searching, Jason went to the wall of the cave near the souvenir shop. He slouched down and put his head in his hands. He wished Charlie were just here. He was tired of searching the caves for Charlie. He knew that Charlie was around the corner, he just wished he could find him. "Charlie! Charlie, come on man! Just come out! We are tired, people are crying… Look, we know you are sad, but this isn't fair to the kids of Little Lamplight. Be mindful, dude! Please! Just come out!"

Jason sat there for a while. He felt at peace with his head back in his hands. This was the first time Jason felt calm in a while. He began to doze off when finally a small voice whispered to him from his side.

"Jason… psst… Jason…"

Jason assumed he was just hearing things.

"Jason… Jason…"

Jason lifted his head to look around. When he turned to his left, two sparkling, blue eyes were looking up at him.

"Charlie! Dude, you scared us! Where have you been?"

"I've been around."

"Around? Charlie, where did you…" 

"Jason… it's not important. I'm about to show you something that is pretty important, though."

"What are you talking about?"

Charlie rushed Jason to a lower side of the cave. Jason had never been to the area of the cave Charlie was taking him to. They hurried down the sides of the cave and squeezed through a smaller pass. Finally, the two boys reached a spot of the cave. The wall was covered with a piece of plywood. The plywood was loosely attached to the wall of the cave. The boys removed it. When they removed the plywood, Jason noticed that the board was covering up a small room that was dark and musky.

"What's in here?" asked Jason. "Charlie, what is in here?"

Excitedly, Charlie said, "Just go look."

Jason looked back at Charlie. He had a huge grin on his face. Whatever was in this side room of the cave must have been good. Jason felt less worried now that Charlie's excitement was noticeable. Jason took two steps in, flicked on his flashlight, and pointed the light in the middle of the room. "Whoa."


	4. Happiness is a Warm Gun

Jason had thought he'd been dreaming. He'd never seen anything like it. He rubbed his eyes to make sure what he had seen was natural. Was this real? As he shown his flashlight to the middle, there was a huge supply of guns. From automatic rifles to pistols, this supply closet, as it seemed to be, was filled with ammunition and weapons. This must have been a security storage held by the people that worked here. Lamplight Caverns was located in a rather run down area of D.C. Maybe the people before Little Lamplight had problems with crime. Who cares, all that Jason knew was that Little Lamplight now had protection from any group that would try and break in.

"Isn't it something?" asked Charlie with a rather blood-hungry sound to his voice.

"It _is _something… now no adult will ever mess with us!" Jason said excitedly.

"What do we do with all these guns?"

"I will bring this rifle to my quarters. I'll only use it for special purposes, though. We don't have to worry. Charlie, I will ask something of you."

"What's that?"

"Make sure NO one comes here. No one can go into that room."

"Well, when they see you with a gun, how will you say you got it?"

"I'll tell them about the room… but they cannot enter. This is for the safety of our people."

"Okay… no one goes in."

"No one… not even you."

"But I was the one who discovered it."

"Charlie, no one goes in. This is for the safety…"

"…of our people. I got it. I just think that I should be allowed…" Jason shot him a stern look. "Okay, no going in for me."

Jason brought the gun back to where he slept every night. He placed it carefully by a wall. It blended in well with the darkness of the cave. You could only see the rifle when standing directly by it. Jason was rather excited that he found a gun supply. He was a huge gun enthusiast. Being in the boy scouts for most of his young life, he was able to shoot BB guns and train his aim. He had great aim and could shoot pretty much anything he targeted. He first shot a real gun the summer before. He was nine and his father felt it was time his son worked on hunting. His father, being a man from the South, loved hunting. His plan was to take Jason hunting on vacations and teach him the ways of living off the land. Jason was so enthralled by all of it and wanted to always learn more. That was the boy scout in him, of course.

Jason suddenly had a burning desire to see what other guns were in the supply closet. He went to explore. Charlie was standing at the front of the space. "Just guarding like you wanted," he said.

"Good Charlie… keep guarding."

Jason swiftly went in. He took his flashlight and examined some of the guns. An assault rifle quickly caught his eye. He had never seen one in person. He always would see them on the action movies he'd watch. He thought they were so cool and always wanted one. He felt the gun. It felt even better than he imagined the touch of it would. He smiled and went onto the next one. The next one was a combat shotgun. They must have had major trouble with crime if they have all these guns, he thought. It was beautiful. This shotgun was much like one his uncle in Colorado had. The look of the gun brought back memories of his uncle. This made him a little sad, missing his family more than imaginable. After shaking off his thoughts, he continued through the collection. He saw a 10mm pistol. He figured he'd need a gun he could carry on him, so he took the pistol. He grabbed the holster, attached it to his belt, and went through the next part of the gun collection.

As minutes passed, he found that this gun collection was so extravagant. There had to be more than crime that led Lamplight to buying all these guns. What could it be? What was the purpose?

"Man, look at all these guns!" exclaimed a voice.

Jason looked back to see Charlie. "Charlie… I told you not to come in here."

"I just wanted to check out the guns."

"Look, someone could get hurt. Just stay out."

"Why do you get to do all the fun things?"

"Because I'm the mayor… believe me, it's not all fun."

"It is! You get to do _whatever _you want and it isn't fair. We just want to have some sort of life around here and you hog it up with your rules."

"I'M TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE!"

His voice echoed, shaking the walls of the supply closet from the vibration. Something in the distance of the closet fell. When he flashed his light at what it was, he could see it was a shovel. "What do you think that's for?" asked Charlie.

"I don't know."

"Maybe we can bury someone's dead body with it."

"Well, Charlie, no one is dead. Let's hope no one dies at all."

"Yeah, let's hope."

…

Jason went back to his quarters after a day of examining guns. He held on to two: the 10 mm and hunting rifle. When the kids asked about the guns, he told them everything that happened. He was keeping his honesty card as mayor and playing it every chance he could get. By the end of the day, he was settling down. He was lying down and began to rest his head. He thought of everything that had happened since he had gotten to this cave. He thought of becoming mayor, finding guns, hating adults… missing adults. He missed everyone, even his uncle in Colorado. Even his parents. There were so many people he wished he could just see. There was so much life he wished he could be living right now. There was so much…

_Bang!_

Jason jumped. He got to his feet and raced to the supply closet. He knew Charlie was up to something. He had set off a gun. When he had reached the closet, he saw Charlie with a pistol in hand. "Charlie… what did I tell you about coming in here!"

"I just wanted to… I'm so sorry…"

"Charlie… give me that!"

"Look, I am really sorry…"

"Are you stupid? Do you not listen to orders? DON'T EVER COME IN HERE!" Jason was furious.

"Please forgive me… I was just testing the gun…"

"NO! No Charlie… no testing anything. I can't believe you actually shot that. Are you an idiot? Yes… yes you are. I saw your grades at school. How could I forget? Get your head out of your ass and stop being dumb! Just stop fucking everything up!"

Jason walked away to the sound of Charlie apologizing over and over. Jason was so fed up with Charlie and couldn't stand to even be around him. Maybe if he'd go to bed, he'd forget the whole thing with Charlie ever happened. It would be better in the morning.

…

Jason felt great. He woke up, stretched his arms out, and drew a large smile upon his face. Every "Good morning, how are you?" came from Jason and he felt on top of the world for some reason. He made his rounds around the cave, checking on everyone and seeing how everyone was doing. After his final checkup, he went to the supply closet to check on the ammunition stash. When he got to the opening of the door, he was surprised to see that Charlie was not there guarding it. Charlie was always there. In fact, he hadn't seen Charlie when he made his rounds. He just figured he'd be guarding the supply closet. Where was Charlie? They'd lost him again, he feared. He then convinced himself that Charlie was just off at some other part of the cave and would soon return.

He stepped into the room. There was so much ammunition. All the bullets, shells, and grenades could last someone years, he thought. He looked up at the guns. All were in place. All were nice and clean, soft to the touch in his mind, and simply wonderful. As he started to walk off, he quickly noticed that the gun Charlie had the night before, the small pistol, was gone. "No… no, no, no! This is not good!"

"Have you seen Charlie? Have you seen him?" Jason raced around the city asking the kids if they'd seen Charlie. "Charlie! Charlie!" No one knew where he was. This was no good. Charlie was once again gone, alone in a cave with a pistol, and watching down on a city that had very little protection with unarmed citizens.

…

_Charlie sat at the top of the caves hidden. No one could see him. He simply looked down at them. "So I'm the screw up? He'll see… I can screw up all of his plans as mayor…"_


End file.
